A quarter of women feel uncomfortable in their skin – is the beauty industry to blame?

Almost a quarter of women feel uncomfortable in their own skin because they think they don’t meet “typical beauty standards”, according to Gillette Venus’s latest survey.

A poll of 2,000 women revealed that six in 10 blame their lack of self-esteem on not meeting mainstream beauty ideals, while 29% said it’s because they feel different to everyone else. 

A fifth of respondents also admitted to feeling insecure because of the influencers and celebrities they see on social media, the survey found. As such, half of women aged 18–24 have avoided posting pictures of themselves on platforms such as Instagram because of a lack of confidence in their own skin. 

This self-esteem issue is impacting women’s social lives too, with a third cancelling a night out with friends because they were suffering with a lack of confidence, while 12% have cancelled a date and one in 10 have called in to work sick for the same reasons. 

Only 10% of respondents felt beauty brands use realistic representations of women in their campaign imagery, with 63% stating they would feel more confident in themselves if they saw women in adverts who reflected the way they looked. 

The survey was commissioned to tie in with Gillette Venus’s new “My Skin. My Way” campaign, which is a collection of stories by women who have gone on a journey to love the skin they’re in. 

Do you think the beauty industry is to blame? Comment below. 

Image: ©Kyisha in the Gillette Venus My Skin. My Way campaign, who has learned to be more confident in her own skin after embracing her C-section scar.